Combined couch and chair.



No. 731,810. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

r H. H. PATTEE.

COMBINED COUCH AND CHAIR. APPLIdATIon FILED AUG. 7. 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 g vwk gwmmmm PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903*.

' "H. H. PATTEE.

COMBINED COUCH AND CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2..

no MODEL.

|NVENTO.R

WITNESSES";

. ATTORNEY or extended for conversion into Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT H. PATTEE,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED COUCH AND CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,810, dated. June 23, 1903.

Application filedAngnst 7, 1902.

T0 at whom it "may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT H. PATTEE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Couch and Chair, of which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to improvements in a combined couch and chair of the type represented by the combination couch and chair disclosed in my former Letters Patent, N 0. 629,204, dated July 18, 1899, wherein an art-icle of furniture is presented having, essentially, three parts adapted to be folded/together to provide a chair whose back can be set at various angles for the accommodation of the user and also adapted to be unfolded a couch by simply letting down the back and reversing the arm portion.

The object of these improvements is to better the construction of this kind of a chair and enable it to be adjusted and manipulated with greater ease and facility. r

The invention consists, essentially, in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved combined couch and chair when folded together for use asa chair. Fig,

.2 is a sectional detail view of the auxiliary folding frame that serves as a support for the outer end of the back when the latter has been extended horizontally to form a part of the couch. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional central portion of the frame.

detail of a hinge for the back and of a looking device for connecting the back of the chair to the main'portion of the frame and shows how the device may be automatically unlocked in lowering the back to its horizontal position. Fig. 4; is a perspective view of my improved combined couch and chair when the parts are unfolded for use as a couch. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view showing one form of hinge for connecting the back to the main Figs. 6 and 8 represent certain details of modified means for locking the back to the arm-section when the parts are in chair position. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view showing the position of Serial No. 118,763. (No model.)

the reversed arm-section when the parts have been adjusted to couch position, together with the hinged seat-frame when unfolded and serving as a support to hold the said arm-section in an inclined position and the brace for the unfolded seat-frame.

Similarnumeralsof reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe different figures.

1 denotes the main or central portion of the combined couch and chair, it being the part which remains firmly in place at all times without being subject to change by adjustment, the same having supporting-legs 2, suitably connected together by rods or slats for the sake of strength and in order that compartments or shelves may be provided to receive cushions, if need be. Section 1 may, if desired, contain springs 10 to yieldingly uphold the covering 11, which may be of webbing or some other suitable fabric or strong elastic material and is designed to serve as a support for one of the cushions for the couch.

Hinged to the section 1 is the section 3, hav-' ing a bottom surface of webbing Her other flexible material similar to surface 11, which webbing12 forms the top of the section 3 after, the latter is reversed and supports one of the-couch-cushions. Section 3 has the chair-arms 4, which extend rearwardly beyond the section and are provided with notches 5, formed therein for the reception of the cross stay-rod 6, which latter when placed within said notches, as shown in Fig. 1, serves to hold the back 8 in its upwardlyinclined position, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, being the position which it takes when the parts are related to serve as a chair. The arms 4 may be supported by rows of posts or slats 9, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, or said slats may be dispensed with and the arms simply supported by the corner posts or blocksof the section 3.

The back portion 8, which is preferably made of some suitable skeleton form, is hinged at its lower end on the side of section 1 opposite to where the section 3 is hinged thereto and is adapted to'swing downward from the position shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 4, in which latter position it serves to form one end of the bed, preferably the foot end. When so swung down,

the outer end of back Sis supported by means ICS inner edge of the side rails of section 8 by means of the pins 44, and the said frame 13 is also provided with a spring friction-pin 15, that serves to lock the frame 13 within section 8 when closed flush thereinto during the time that section 8 serves as the back of the chair.

The section 3, as shown in Fig.4 and as already stated, is hinged, by means of hinges 14, to the middle stationary section 1, and it is adapted to swing forward, be turned over,

and dropped downward to the position shown in Fig. 4 and when in this positionwill form the'head portion of the couch, being inclined, so as to lift the head sufficiently, at which time the top 11 of section 1 will form the central portion of the couch, while the back-section '8 will form the remainder. Suitable cushions or coverings may of course be spread over the entire surface of the couch, so as to render it comfortable to the user.

The arm-section 3 is provided with a seatframe 16, consisting, preferably, of cross-slats or some other suitable light or open-work construction, said seat-frame being hinged, by means of lateral pivots 16, to the sides of section 3 or hinged in any othersuitable manner andbeingadapted to fold down neatly in side of the lectangularly-arranged rails that eonstitute the lower edges of this section 3 and to lie flush with the said rails. This frame 16 preferably rests on a suitable pin or pins, as 17", projecting from the frame 3 and serving to keepthe frame'l6 from exerting undue pressure on the webbing 12, with which it may or may not be in contact, which webbing forms the bottom side or surface of the section 3 and also serves as the top of the arm-section to receive a cushion or bedding when the said section is reversed into couch position. When the arm-section 3 has been reversed into the inclined position, where it serves as' the headsection of the couch, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7, the seat-frame 16 will be unfolded and caused to occupy an inclined position below section 3, where it will efficiently support said section 3. To keep the seat-frame 16 in the bracing position indicated, I either take the stay-rod 6 and pass it between the side'slats of section 3 in the position shown in Fig. 4, or if this is undesirable for any reason I may provide the sides of section 3 with the braces 18, as shown in Fig. 7. These braces have slots-l9, in one end of which is a rack 20, engaged by pins 21 on the edges of seat 16. The oppositeends of the braces 18 have pivots, which slide in grooves 49 in section 3. In case there are no side slats 9 and it is desired to use the stay-rod 6 as a brace for the inverted seat said rod may be placed against a knob 50 on'the under side of arm 4, of which knobs there may be one or more, or there may be notches for the rod 6.

The hinge device by means of which the back 8 is hinged to the central frame 1 may varywidelyin construction. Itmaybe simply an ordinary hinge, like those shown at 40 40 in Fig. 6, in which case the adjoining edge of the frame 1 will be preferably beveled at 41 to prevent the hinges from breaking should the frame 8 happen through any mischance to drop below its horizontal position; but the form of hinge which I expect to use with great advantage is that represented in Figs. 3 and 5, and thisIwill now proceed to describe. The rear posts 2 of the central frame 1 are each provided near the upper end with a recess 25, in which is fitted a U-shaped spring 23, having flanged ends 37, that project on the top of posts 2 or enter depressions therein, said spring 23 occupying the recess 25 and being preferably seen red in the bottom thereof by means of a pin or screw 24 or some other suitable device, and said spring 23 is larger at the bottom than at the top-that is to say, its ends come tolerably close to'each other above the loop portion. Lying in the springs, and consequently in the recesses in the two posts, is a horizontal rod 22, carried by the end of the back 8, to which it is firmly connected or through which it passes, and by this means back 8 is pivoted to-the two posts 2. When it is desired to disengage the back 8 from the section 1 to pack the back for shipment or for any other purpose, the rod 22 can easily be withdrawn from the sockets by simply lifting it out of the springs 23 past the contiguous flanged ends of said springs, which ends can be readily parted sufficiently far to permit the easy withdrawal of the rod 22; but the normal contraction of the distance between the upper ends of the spring prevents the disengagement of the back from the middle section through any small shock or displacement of said back.

When the parts of my improved combined couch and chair are folded together in chair position, as shown in Fig. 1, it is preferable to provide some means for connecting the rear end of section 3 to the rear end of section 1, on which at this time it lies, so as to prevent a disengagement of said sections in case any one in attempting to move the chair about should lift it by the arms 4 and in so lifting should happen to raise the section 3 ofl section 1, and hence I provide the lock shown in Fig. 3 for fastening'the section 3 down on section 1. In the rear top rail of section 1 is a cavity 36, in which a latch 29,

having a catch 30, is pivoted at 35, said latch 29 having also a rearwardly-extending portion 32, that projects through a perforation at the rear of the said top rail. On the adjoining part of section 3 is a loop or staple 31, which enters cavity 36 when section 3 fits down over section 1, and this loop 31 is engaged normally by the catch 30 and is kept in such engagement by means of a fiat spring 33, which bears against the lower end of the latch 29 below its pivotal point, as shown.

' While the catch 30 is engaged'with the loop 31 section 3 cannot be lifted off the section 1,

1 arms 4. When the parts of the entire article are to be extended into couch position, and in consequence the back Sis lowered from the position of Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 4, the lower end of .said back will strike against the rear projection 32, belonging to the latch 29. I preferably place on the back .8 a small swelling or button 34, adapted to engage and contact with the projection 32 While the back Sis being lowered. The result is that when the back reaches its horizontal position the latch will have been shiftedon its pivot 35 and the catch withdrawn from the loop 31, thereby releasing the armsection from the middle section and setting the former free, so that it may be readily unfolded.

It will be understood that the form of hinge for back 8 shown in Fig. 3 is especially adapted "forluse with the form of fastener shown in the same figure for sections 3 and 1.

When the hinges 4.0 are employed, as shown in Fig. 6, instead of thehinging-rod 22, I preferably do not use the latch device 29, but resort to other fastening means for connecting the arm-section 3 to the middle section 1 when the parts are to be in chair position,

and in Figs. 6 and 8 I show a very simple form of device for this purpose. Two slightly difierent designs having the same function are here indicated, one in Fig. 6 and one in Fig. 8. In Fig. 6 the rear posts 28 of the arm-section 3 are provided with curved or arcual slots or shoulders 26, which are ongaged by pins 27 on backS when the back is in its inclined or chair position, and when the back is dropped the pins 27 obviously are released from slots 26. In Fig. 8 it will be seen that instead of cutting slots 26 in the substance of the posts 28 I simply fasten by screws or other means a plate 41 to the side of the post 28, which plate has its edge the quadrant of a circle and aifords a shoulder 42 to be engaged by a projection or finger 43 on each side of the back-section 8.

Itwill be understood,of course,that whether the latch device 29 or the pin'and-slot arrangement or the pin-and-plate arrangement is used the stay-rod 6 will in each case be used I just the same in connection with the notched ends of the arms for the purpose of sustaining the back in its upright position when lifted.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

vice for locking the arm-section to the middle section when the parts are in chair p0 sition and automatically unlocking them as the parts are moved into conch position.

2. In a combined couch and chair, the comin the arm-section and adapted to serve as a support for the armsection when the latter is unfolded.

3. The combination with the middle portion, of a back-section hinged thereto, the hinges for said back-section consisting essentially of a rod and spring-bearings in which it is supported, said bearings being open at the top to permit the easy withdrawal therethrough of the rod when it is desired to disengage the back from the middle portion.

4. The combination with the middle portion, of a back section and hinges for hingi ng said back-section to the middle portion, said hinges consisting of U-shap'ed springs carried in recesses in the middle portion and open at their upper ends, together with a rod carried by the back-section and supported looselyin said U-shaped springs, said rod being easily withdrawable from the springs when it is desired to disengage the back from the middle portion.

5. The combination with a middle portion, of a back-section and an arm-section, both of which are hinged to the middle one, and a frame pivoted within the arm-section and adapted to serve as a support for the latter when the parts are unfolded into couch posi* tion, and means for bracing the frame when it serves as a support consisting essentially of slotted links pivoted to the arm-section. and being engaged by pins on'the said frame. 6. In a combined couch and chair, the combination with the middle portion, of a back portion and an arm-section, both of which are hinged to the middle one, and a frame pivoted within the arm-section and adapted to serve asa support for the arm-section when the latter is unfolded.

7. In a combined couch and chair, the combination with the middle portion, of a back portion and an arm-section, both of which are hinged to the middle one, and a frame pivoted within the arm-section and adapted to serve as a support when the latter is unfolded, and means for sustaining the said frame in position as a support for the arm-section and preventing it from sliding on the floor.

8. The combination with a middle section, of a back-section and an arm-section, both of which are hinged to the middle one, means for securing the arm-section to the middle when the parts are in chair position, said means consisting of lateral projections onthe back and suitable means on the rear of the arm-section engaged by said lateral projections.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 4th day of August, 1902.

HERBERT H. PATTEE.

Witnesses: CHARLES F. THOMPSON, M. L. SHAY. 

